‘Dog Days of Summer’ in Oakville

The Town of Oakville gave special meaning to the phrase ‘the dog days of summer’ this week as it officially proclaimed Aug. 3-9 International Assistance Dog Week.

Trainers with the Oakville-based Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides — the largest training school of its kind in Canada — were on hand Tuesday at Town Hall to mark the occasion with a few playful puppies who are soon-to-be assistance dogs.

The organization’s executive director, Sandy Turney, said the week was about raising awareness for a global effort.

“It’s great for us to help promote all the different ways dogs can help people with a really wide range of disabilities,” Turney said, as she held the leash of an eight-week old black lab named Dalia.

Last year, 154 service dogs were placed in homes across Canada to assist people who are blind, hearing impaired, in a wheelchair, or have epilepsy, autism or Type 1 diabetes. “(The dogs) are fostered locally by families until they’re 12 months old then they’re trained anywhere from three to six months by our trainers,” Turney said.

When a dog is matched with someone, the new owner lives at the school until they get to know their companion.

Dog Guides Canada estimates it costs $25,000 to train and place each animal. The organization receives no government grants so the majority of its funding comes from donations.

Dog Guides Canada communications manager Natalie Moncur said the dogs help provide a “completely changed lifestyle” for their owners.

“They have more independence, more safety, they can do things maybe they couldn’t do on their own before and some of those things might seem small to us, but to them, are monumental,” Moncur said.

Most of the canines come from a Dog Guides Canada breeding facility in Breslau, Ont., near Kitchener-Waterloo.

Ward 3 Town Councillor and member of Oakville’s Accessibility Advisory Committee Dave Gittings, and his family’s foster puppy, Yuri, were at a flag raising to mark the proclamation.

Dog Guides Canada estimates 65 per cent of foster puppies graduate and those unable to complete the training are placed for adoption through an in-house service.

Gittings said his family has fostered 10 dog guides.

“Seeing the difference these dogs can make in a person’s life and in the family’s life — (we’ve) got to support it,” he said.